Both the House of Representatives and Senate have voted to pass the Future Made in Australia (FMIA) Bill in the Federal Parliament today, cementing a $22.7 billion net-zero transition initiative.
The Bill is designed to attract investment to position Australia as a leader in renewable energy, gaining value from our natural resources and strengthening economic security as the nation transitions to a decarbonised economy.
The goal is to produce more on Australian shores, using our expansive natural resources, to build competitive new industries that will service the net-zero economies of tomorrow.
Keeping up with a rapidly changing world
“This bill is a major step in implementing the Albanese Labor government's Future Made in Australia agenda, to deliver our country's next generation of prosperity,” Treasurer Jim Chalmers said at the second bill reading.
“It brings us closer to our vision for a prosperous future for all Australians and it helps us secure Australia's place in a shifting global economic and strategic landscape on the back of the global transition to net zero.
“The world is changing, and the pace of that change is accelerating as the planet moves to a future powered by cheaper and cleaner energy.”
The Bill will focus investment on:
- Creating safe, secure, and well-paying jobs with good conditions.
- Developing a skilled and inclusive workforce.
- Working together with local communities, including those affected by the transition to net zero, to achieve positive outcomes.
- Supporting First Nations communities and traditional owners to benefit from the net zero transition.
- Strengthening domestic industrial capabilities, including enhancing local supply chains.
- Ensuring transparency and compliance with Australia’s tax system.
The Bill lists several initiatives and funds it will be supporting, ranging from a Net Zero Economy Authority to a Women’s Career Program and Diversity in STEM.
The list has a definitive focus on green energy, with a raft of hydrogen, green and critical metals, solar and battery initiatives.
“Australia has been dealt the most incredible set of cards to make ourselves the primary beneficiaries of the global net zero economy,” Treasurer Chalmers said.
“We have a unique combination of geological, meteorological, geographical and geopolitical comparative advantages and we know it would be an egregious breach of our generational responsibilities as a government if we didn't play this winning hand.
“This bill is all about realising our genuine advantages and recognising that our future growth prospects lie at the intersection of our industrial, resources, skills and energy bases and our attractiveness as an investment destination so we can grasp the jobs and opportunities of the clean energy transition.
“The world is moving on and Australia needs to move with it, because, if we get stuck in the past, this country will be poorer, and it will be more vulnerable, and we won't make the most of the golden opportunity before us.
“The time to act is now. The world is changing with or without Australia.”